SUNRISE, Fla. – Welcome to the halfway point of the 2023-24 season.
How are we feeling?
If the answer is anything other than amazing, you must not have been watching.
Sitting at 27-12-2 with 41 games down and 41 more to go, the Panthers cruised into the midway point on a nine-game win streak after securing a 3-2 overtime win over the Kings on Thursday.
“It’s going well for us,” said forward Sam Reinhart, who buried the game-winning goal in overtime against Los Angeles. “We’re really kind of in the moment, taking it day by day.”
As of right now, Florida’s 56 points are the fifth-most in the NHL.
But that’s just one interesting number … what about the rest?
Continue below to see some key figures from the first half of the season.
0.7: The time remaining when Sam Reinhart scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Kings on Thursday. Making history in the final game of the first half, it stands as the latest overtime goal in franchise history, surpassing Dave Lowry’s winner at 4:56 on Oct. 30, 1993.
1: The number of points the Panthers trail the Bruins. With half the season in the books, the Panthers are breathing down Boston’s neck. At the time of this writing, they trail the Bruins by just one point for first place in the Atlantic Division, setting up a thrilling second-half race for the top spot.
2.46: The average number of goals the Panthers are allowing per game. Owning the third-best defense in the NHL, the Panthers have been making life miserable for opposing offenses. Playing as a tight five-man unit -- and with very solid goaltending to boot -- everything has simply been clicking in the back end. On fire at the halfway point, they’ve surrendered two or fewer goals in seven of their last nine games.
5: Matthew Tkachuk’s goal streak heading into the second half. There’s no other way to put it, Tkachuk has been on absolute fire since the calendar flipped to 2024. Since Jan. 2, the 26-year-old forward ranks tied for second in the NHL with seven goals, including six at even strength.
7: The number of consecutive wins Sergei Bobrovsky has picked up entering the halfway point. Tied for his longest win streak as a member of the Panthers, the savvy veteran needs to win his next two starts to match Roberto Luongo’s franchise record for longest win streak. During his streak, Bobrovsky has turned aside 181 of 196 shots for a .923 save percentage. Riding his hot streak up the NHL’s leaderboard, he currently ranks tied for second in the league in wins (21).
17: The number of games the Panthers have won when scoring first this season. While they’ve still shown they can be the “Comeback Cats” – see Thursday’s victory over Los Angeles – the Panthers have been one of the top teams in the NHL with a lead this season. Yet to lose in regulation when scoring first, they’ve gone 17-0-2 in games in which they’ve broken the ice.
22: The number of goals Carter Verhaeghe has scored this season. After leading the Panthers with a career-high 41 goals in 2022-23, “Swaggy” is on pace to surpass that total this season. Heading into the break, Verhaeghe has found the back of the net in five of his last seven games.
24: Florida’s regulation wins this season. While some teams have been feasting on overtime – looking at you, Maple Leafs – the Cats have been getting the job done in 60 minutes. At the halfway point, they rank third in regulation wins, trailing only Winnipeg (26) and Vancouver (26).
+27: Gustav Forsling’s plus/minus rating. Leading the Panthers in the category, Forsling has been making a positive impact ever since he arrived in South Florida. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the smooth-skating defenseman ranks third in the NHL in plus/minus with a +87 rating.
34: Aleksander Barkov’s assist total. As usual, the captain has been showing off his generosity this season. His 34 assists both lead the Panthers and place him tied for 10th in the NHL. Since the win streak began on Dec. 23, Barkov leads the NHL with 15 assists in just nine contests.
55.6%: Kevin Stenlund’s faceoff win percentage. Nobody on the Panthers has been better in the circle this season than the big Swede. Second to only Aleksander Barkov on the team with 233 faceoff wins, the first-year Panther has won at least 50% of his faceoffs in 30 of 41 games so far.
60.02%: Florida’s expected goals percentage with Sam Bennett on the ice at 5-on-5. Despite missing some time earlier in the season due to an injury, the grizzled forward has been looking no worse for wear since returning to action. Over his 369:40 of ice time at 5-on-5 this season, his 60.02 xGF% ranks only behind Aleksander Barkov’s 61.31 xGF% on the Panthers.
70: The number of shots blocked by Niko Mikkola. At 6-foo-5, the towering Finn simply makes shooting lanes disappear. In addition to leading the Panthers in blocks, he also paces the club in hits (76) and sits second among the team’s defensemen in shorthanded ice time (87:42). In the first year of a three-year contract with Florida, there’s no question he’s found a home in Sunrise.
74.42%: Evan Rodrigues’ goals for percentage at 5-on-5. When Rodrigues has been on the ice this season, good things have been happening. Teaming up with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart on the top line, the Panthers have outscored the opposition 32-11 at 5-on-5 when Rodrigues has been deployed. In that time, Florida has also registered 19 high-danger goals.
84%: Florida’s rate of success on the penalty kill. Owning the sixth-best kill in the NHL, the Panthers have been dominating opposing power plays for a while now. Over the last month, they’ve gone 40-for-44 (90%) on the penalty kill over an outstanding 14-game stretch.
.923%: Anthony Stolarz’s save percentage. What more could you want from your backup goaltender? Doing far more than just holding down the fort during his first season in South Florida, the 29-year-old veteran’s save percentage is currently tied for fifth-best in the NHL among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances. Overall, he’s posted a 6-3-1 record.
18,507: The average attendance for the Panthers at the halfway point of the season, according to HockeyReference.com. There’s no question that Amerant Bank Arena is the place to be right now. Fueled by a rowdy home crowd, the Panthers have gone 13-5-0 in Sunrise this season.
To purchase tickets for the second half, click HERE.
Infinity: Let’s be honest, Sam Reinhart has enough incredible numbers for his own list. That being said, here’s just a few of his eye-popping stats from the first half of the season. Leading the Panthers in both goals (30) and points (53), he needs just three more goals to match the career-high 33 he netted in 2021-22. A monster on the man advantage, he leads the NHL in power-play goals (15), including scoring at least one in each of his last five contests. With his last-second goal in overtime against the Kings, Reinhart also recorded his third straight game-winning goal. A model of offensive consistency, he’s yet to go more than two games without registering point.
*All advanced statistics courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com.
